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The Ontario Highway Traffic Act applies to the provisional use of commercial and non-commercial motor vehicles on the Roads and Highways of Ontario, Canada, such as cars, trucks, motorcycles, off-road vehicles, farm equipment, construction equipment, buses, motor home vehicles, and non-motorized bikes.

So I'm exhausted from studying for examinations, and I turned onto a street near where I live - but not familiar to me - and drove down a street. It was just after I passed the "do not enter sign" that I realized I was on a one-way street. A lady driving by yelled out her window "this is a one way street" and that's when I realized. There was a street just ahead, so I decided to turn onto that street to get off the one way road.

But not before the police pulled me over. It would've been one thing if I'd kept driving on the one way road, but I turned off the road to fix this problem. I at least tried to correct my mistake. The road was so narrow, I didn't want to chance trying to turn around on it.

The Ticket says Drives wrong way - one way traffic. It also says that this was contrary to the highway traffic act, section 153. It says the set fine is $85, and the Total payable is $110. The Total Payable includes "costs and applicable victim fine surcharge" it says (ludicrous).

So my question is this: what happens if I take option 3? Might they lower the price of the ticket and/or the points? And if I just paid the amount, what kinds of extra insurance charge might I get? The only other tickets I've ever gotten (3) were parking tickets. Do parking tickets have demerit points too? !?! I always just assumed parking tickets were minor infractions and wouldn't have points, but now I'm not so sure....

I just feel that under the circumstances I did the best I could to rectify my the effect of my sleepiness by turning off at the next road (this road was only about 2 meters away).

What are my chances? Can this charge get worse if I go to seek clemency?

The good news (if you can look at it that way) is that it can't get any worse. You are already charged the full amount. And you will get 3 demerit points.

This is a set fine offence. The judge cannot reduce it except in extreme hardship cases. $110 is not an extreme fine so you won't likely get a reduction. In other words, option 2 is the same as option 1. Pleading guilty is pleading guilty. Why take time off from study, go to court and end up paying the exact same amount that you can pay now?

The only really choice you have is if you decide to fight the ticket: (Option 3). Going to court will not cost you any more and you do not risk anything except your time.

This ticket will likely affect your insurance, it depends on the company: some count convictions, some look at demerit points.